How To Avoid Getting Trapped In License Hell

Susan Scollon was dying to teach. She completed all the necessary
course work in art education at Michigan State University in the spring
of 1989. She and her fiancé, a legislative assistant living in
Washington, D.C., wanted to get married that summer and reside together
in Washington, but she had to complete her student teaching in the
fall. So, she thought, why not go ahead with the wedding and arrange to
do her student teaching that fall in the nation's capital? That's where
she would be job hunting anyway.

It seemed like a great idea at the time. She got the necessary
permission from MSU and completed her student teaching in November; she
expected to be working in January.

Months and a score of phone calls later, Scollon is still waiting to
get a D.C. teaching license. She was bounced back and forth between
departments at MSU before finally finding out that someone there had
mistakenly labeled her application "music teacher" instead of art.
D.C. still hasn't received the letter it needs from MSU proving that
she completed the program. The university keeps saying that it's on the
way. In the meantime, she is burning out before she even gets
started.

Scollon is trapped in license hell-- and she isn't the only one. The
horror stories abound. Experienced teachers can encounter a myriad of
problems when moving from state to state, or when it comes time to
renew, or when they have to take a job "out of field." And prospective
teachers tell of the paper chases they're forced to run through their
school of education before sending off their applications.

Often, beginning teachers naively expect that someone will hand-hold
them through the process of getting licensed or assume that once they
get a license it will last them a lifetime. Some are shocked to find
out that their college preparation wasn't enough.

To make matters worse, teachers often hear different stories about
licensure requirements from different people. College advisers in one
state don't always know what is required in another.

Sheri Sutton was told by her adviser at Depauw University in
Greencastle, Ind., that her state had a reciprocal agreement with
Illinois--the state in which she was offered a job--to honor each
other's teaching licenses.

When she arrived, she did get a license, but was told that she had
to make up some "deficiencies." Although she was teaching only high
school physics courses, which is what she was trained for at Depauw,
the Illinois office of certification required her to take courses in
health, the psychology of exceptional children, and U.S. History, as
well as to pass tests on both the Illinois and U.S. Constitutions.

But, according to Illinois officials, she never should have been
told that Indiana and Illinois have reciprocity. "It's not true," says
Susan Bentz, assistant superintendent for Illinois's office of teacher
education and certification. "Unfortunately, sometimes college advisers
don't even know what the requirements are in their own states."

Likewise, teachers cannot always trust advice from other teachers.
"People have gotten into lots of trouble by talking to other
teachers," warns Donald Hair, executive director of the National
Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification.
"They take it as gospel. But legislation changes, and no two teachers
are exactly alike in terms of their professional preparation. What
might have been possible for one teacher might not be for
another."

It is confusing. Every state has the right to set its own
requirements, design its own application process, and define its own
terms. What results is a nation of states babbling in different
languages. They can't even agree on how to categorize grade levels. For
example, Illinois defines elementary as grades K-9, while in Delaware
an elementary license is only valid for grades 1-8.

And states keep changing their requirements. So whether you are
applying for your first license or are a veteran teacher moving to a
new state, you will need to contact the state's licensing agency to get
the current information on requirements and regulations. (See page 58.)
Other things you should know before applying include:

Fees: Application processing fees vary from no fee in Hawaii and a
dozen or so other states to $125 in Michigan. Some add an extra charge
for out-of-state applicants.

The Application: Most states require you to fill out an application
form, provide verification from your graduating institution that you
completed an approved program, and submit a copy of your college
transcript. As part of the application process, some states have a few
other miscellaneous requirements, such as fingerprinting or providing
verification of "good moral character." Write directly to the state
licensing agency or contact your college adviser for an application
form.

Tests: The majority of states require applicants to have passed a
competency exam, most commonly one or more components of the National
Teacher Examinations. Some states have developed content area and/or
basic skills tests of their own. Your state licensing agency or
college-certification adviser should be able to provide you with a list
of the testing requirements, sites, and dates.

Structure: Most states now have a licensing structure with two or
more stages; beginning teachers normally receive a provisional license
before becoming eligible for a professional license. Not all states
require teachers to move to a second stage. However, most teachers opt
to do so.

Provisional License: The first license is valid for a specified
length of time, usually from one to five years. During the period for
which you are provisionally licensed, you may be required to gain
full-time teaching experience, complete inservice training, or take
course work either to qualify for the next level or to renew at the
same level.

Some states have mandated special induction programs specifically
designed for beginning teachers. For example, first-year teachers in
Indiana are automatically paired with mentor teachers. In other states,
programs may be available or required at the district level.

Professional Licenses: Most states that have a second-stage license
require you to renew it from time to time. The most common requirement
for renewal is to pick up six semester hours of credit every five
years. A few states still issue "lifetime" licenses, but most of them
are planning to discontinue the practice. New Jersey, for example,
currently offers a lifetime license, but major revisions in its
licensing procedure are planned for 1991.

Education officials--even at the state level--are not always able to
advise you in tough situations. What follows are answers to some of the
stickiest questions regarding teacher licensure.

1. Can I accept a job teaching a grade level or subject for which I am
not licensed? For example: What if I hold a secondary school license
but the only job I can find is teaching 4th grade?

Most states issue separate licenses for different fields and
grade-level categories. Technically, teachers are allowed to teach only
what their license stipulates under state regulations.

But those regulations are "routinely violated," according to Bella
Rosenberg, assistant to the president of the American Federation of
Teachers.

Says Shari Francis, a senior policy analyst for the National
Education Association: "It happens in rural or remote areas where there
are not enough teachers and in urban centers where it is hard to
recruit teachers."

Over the years, state certification offices have adopted provisions
that allow districts to make out-of-field assignments. In most states,
for example, emergency licenses (also called substandard or limited
licenses) are issued on a short-term basis (usually for one to two
years).

Generally, the application for an emergency license must be
accompanied by some verification of need from the employer; a district
official may have to sign a statement saying that he or she could not
find a qualified candidate.

The job candidate's college transcript is then analyzed by a
certification adviser at the state level to determine what course work
is essential for teaching the subject area or grade level. Most often,
the teacher must agree to fulfill any deficiencies in his or her
education and/or training during the period of employment. The
requirements vary from state to state.

If you are asked to accept a position out-of-field, think twice.
Both NASDTEC and the NEA agree that you should be wary of accepting a
job that is not covered by your license.

Although you may not ever intend to consider a job out-of-field, you
may find yourself in that position if you move to a state that defines
grade levels or subject areas differently from the one you left. In
Alabama, for example, an early-childhood special-education license
enables a teacher to work with children of all handicapping conditions.
But if a teacher with such a license were to accept a job teaching
emotionally disturbed preschoolers in a state-funded special-education
preschool in California, a specific "severely handicapped" credential
would be required. On the other hand, if the teacher were offered the
same job in Colorado, the general early-childhood special-education
license would suffice.

Rosenberg says that the AFT gets many letters from people who move
to a new state and are told that they are unqualified to teach a
subject that they have been teaching successfully for years. "The other
day, a math teacher wrote that the only thing they would let her teach
is home economics," she says.

Many states are "tightening up" on out-of-field assignments, says
Donald Hair of NASDTEC. Twenty-three states have recently completed
studies on misassignment, and new legislation or regulations to curtail
the practice have been approved in 20 states, according to NASDTEC's
Manual on Certification and Preparation of Educational Personnel in the
United States. But both Rosenberg and Francis are skeptical. They say
that they haven't yet seen any real evidence that things have
improved.

2. Is it possible to accept a job teaching out-of-field and not know
it?

Yes. For example, an administrator may ask an English teacher to
teach speech without knowing that the state requires a special
endorsement in speech. "Administrators don't always understand state
requirements," warns Richard Mastain, editor of the NASDTEC
manual.

The NEA's Francis says she has heard of cases in which
administrators--unable to fill certain job openings--deliberately did
not inform staff that they were being asked to teach out-of-field.

In most cases, a description of the grades and subjects you are
authorized--or endorsed--to teach will appear on the front or back of
your license. If it doesn't, ask the state office responsible for
teacher licensure to send you a written description of your
authorization. "State licensing agencies have the responsibility to be
very clear about what service each license authorizes a holder to
provide," Mastain says.

If you find that you have been teaching out-of-field and didn't know
it, contact your local teachers' organization, Francis advises. The
union can help you find out what needs to be done to resolve the
problem.

3. What does "reciprocity" mean?

Reciprocity is often misunderstood. Many teachers believe that when
their state has reciprocity with another, they are guaranteed a new
hassle-free license if they move to that state. Not true.

It is true that some states have signed reciprocity contracts with
each other under the Interstate Certification Agreement. (See table on
page 54.) But reciprocity in this case doesn't necessarily mean that
you won't have to do anything to get a new license.

You may be required to fulfill what the ICA defines as the
"noneducational requirements'' of your new state. Those requirements
vary widely from state to state and may include passing a basic-skills
test, being fingerprinted, providing verification of your good moral
character, or signing a citizenship oath. If, for example, you were to
move from a state that did not require the NTE to a state that did, you
would have to take it before receiving your license.

To be eligible for a license under ICA reciprocity guidelines, you
must have graduated from a state-approved teacher-preparatory program.
(If you entered teaching through an alternative route, you qualify if
you have a license and three years of recent teaching experience.)

Some state certification directors say that to be eligible for ICA
reciprocity you must also hold a license from your state. But that is
not the case. According to ICA guidelines, if you graduated from a
state-approved program, you do not have to hold a license from that
state in order to apply for a license from another state. (However, you
may benefit from getting that license before you move; see question
number seven.)

take any additional course work as a prerequisite to getting the
license. So if you were moving into a state that requires all beginning
teachers--regardless of the subject they intend to teach--to have
taken a health course in college, and that state had not signed an ICA
contract with your home state, you would have to take that course to be
eligible for a license. But if the state had signed such a contract
with your home state, you wouldn't.

It sounds good, but there are some loopholes. According to Ervin
Marsh, chairman of ICA's Contract Administrators Association, you can
be required to take additional course work in the following cases:

If the subject or grade level you are teaching requires a different
kind of license in the new state. In some states, for example, there is
no special endorsement required to teach math to 8th graders, while in
others a degree in math is required. So in state A, you could hold a
general elementary license and teach math to 8th graders. But in state
B, a general elementary license would not authorize you to provide 8th
grade math instruction. If you wanted a job teaching 8th grade math in
state B, you'd have to apply for a "different license." And the ICA
guidelines only guarantee reciprocity with "like" licenses.

If you hold an expired license and have never taught. In such cases,
the applicant will usually be required to complete "refresher" course
work, determined by each state.

Also, you should realize that the reciprocity contract simply allows
you to receive another state's initial license, which will let you
teach. But once you get this initial license, you will be required to
complete any of that state's standard requirements to keep or renew it.
For example, if the state requires all initial license holders to
complete six hours of college course work during the first two years,
you must earn those credits.

4. What happens if I am moving to a state that is not part of the
ICA?

Procedures and policies vary. If you graduated from an approved
program, most states will give you a provisional license or a "holding
pattern credential," as Mastain calls it. "They'll issue you a
license, valid for one or two years, and tell you that you will have
additional requirements to meet," he says. The most common requirement
is passing a competency exam.

Don't expect your home state's certification adviser to know what is
required in the state to which you are moving. Find out for yourself.
Write or call your new state's licensing office.

5. What happens if a state that supposedly has reciprocity with my
state asks me to fulfill a course work requirement that goes against
ICA guidelines?

First of all, find out for sure if the state is a member of the
Interstate Certification Agreement. Sheri Sutton was told by her
college adviser that Illinois "had reciprocity," but, in fact, it was
not an ICA member.

If the state is a member, it may be violating the agreement. The ICA
specifically stipulates that additional course work cannot be required
to meet the prerequisites for an initial license.

A state violating the agreement is probably "not knowingly" doing
so, Marsh asserts. "It could be as simple as this: The individual doing
the analyzing may not know the regulations well enough."

If you believe the requirements that a state has given you violate
ICA guidelines, contact the state's licensing agency and ask to speak
with the person responsible for the state's reciprocity agreement.

6. What should I do if, on the basis of a transcript analysis, I am
told that additional course work is required and I disagree?

Regardless of whether you are dealing with an ICA state, a
transcript evaluation may be part of the application process. Some
states even do random transcript evaluations of in-state applicants to
make sure that preparation programs are following the regulations.

There is nothing scientific about transcript evaluations. Analysts
do the best they can to determine whether an individual has taken the
necessary course work. Generally, they read the course titles and, at
times, refer to college catalogs for course descriptions. But the
interpretation of those course titles varies.

If you receive notice from the state licensing agency that you have
not completed a required course and you think a course on your
transcript fulfills the requirement, Mastain suggests that you write to
the certification office and state your case. Note the numbers and
titles of the courses in question. You may need to send a photocopy of
the course description out of the college catalog. Or even better, get
your professor to write a description of the course for you.

What are your chances of succeeding? "It depends how much energy you
have to fight," says the AFT's Rosenberg. "I've heard of teachers
writing letters and winning, but I have no idea how many people
win."

7. If I am seeking my first teaching license, should I get it in the
state from which I graduated even if I don't plan to teach there?

If you have spent the last four years paying tuition rather than
earning a salary, you might be disinclined to pay for a license you
don't think you'll need. But getting that initial license in the state
where you trained can actually pay off, according to Marsh. (Some
states don't even charge an application fee.)

Having a license from one state can make the process of getting a
new license in another state easier, Marsh says. For example, Illinois
will immediately issue a provisional license if you hold one from
another state. But if you don't, you will have to meet specific state
requirements before you are eligible to teach.

Also, it helps to have a license when you start job hunting, even if
it's from another state. Without a license, superintendents may not be
willing to consider you as a candidate for a job opening. With a
license--no matter what state its from--you have some credibility.
"When you go to a local district, you can say, 'I am certified,'"
explains Marsh. "You'll have an 'in' with the personnel director."

8. If I was supposed to fulfill certain requirements (such as
additional course work or teaching experience) in order to renew my
license or qualify for the next level but did not complete them, what
happens?

If you no longer intend to teach because you are leaving the field,
there are no consequences.

If you intend to continue teaching under that license but were
unable to fulfill requirements because of an unexpected circumstance,
such as illness or death in the family, seek an extension, Mastain
says. "Generally," he notes, "extensions are granted for good
cause."

But if you let your license lapse for no good reason, you may have
to deal with some pretty tough consequences when it's time to
renew.

"You will be subject to whatever new regulations the state has
set," says Celeste Rorro, director of teacher certification for New
Jersey's state department of education. In other words, not only will
you have to make up the requirements you failed to meet, but you also
will have to complete any new requirements that have been added since
you first applied. "Some people find themselves in a serious bind
because regulations are revised," Rorro explains. "For instance, a
testing requirement or another degree requirement could have been
added. You may have been O.K. under the old license, but since it has
expired, you'll have to fulfill these new requirements."

"Plan ahead," advises NASDTEC's Hair. "Staying licensed is an
individual responsibility. You can't say that the school district or
the state should remind you of the requirements."

If you don't get the requirements completed, contact the state
department directly, advises the NEA's Francis. Every situation is
different and only the state department can tell you what you will need
to do to become re-licensed.

If you are moving to another state, changing positions within the
teaching field, or working toward a career in administration and are
tempted not to fulfill the requirements of your current license, think
twice. Make sure that the license you will eventually need-- to teach
or be an administrator in another state--does not hinge on the license
you are going to give up.

9. Do I have to be licensed in order to teach in a private
school?

Twenty-three states require private school personnel to hold a state
license, according to the NASDTEC manual. But if you want to teach in a
particular private school, you should contact the school's hiring
official, advises Charles O'Malley, a private education specialist for
the U.S. Department of Education. Some states that have the private
school requirement exempt certain types--most often religious
schools.

On the other hand, some private schools in states that do not
require licensing want their teachers to be licensed, according to
O'Malley. "A substantial number of private schools, from Christian
fundamentalist through independent, have encouraged teachers to be
state certified or at least eligible for state certification," he
says.

Some private school administrators believe that having licensed
teachers can give their school credibility. Explains O'Malley: "One of
the first questions parents ask is, 'Are your teachers qualified?' If
administrators can pull out a list saying that all their teachers are
certified or certifiable in their fields, they think it makes more of
an impression. It's like a 'Good Housekeeping seal of approval.'"

10. What if I want to get a license but I did not go through a
traditional teacher-education program?

Many states permit certification through "alternative routes." The
procedures for becoming licensed this way vary from state to state.
Most require a combination of college course work and field-based
experiences.

In New Jersey, for example, you must first get a job offer from a
school district. Then, if you meet certain basic requirements, you are
given a provisional license. For a year, you work in that school with
mentor teachers and attend college-level seminars to learn
pedagogy.

The best way to find out about the regulations for a given state is
to call its director of teacher licensing. But don't just ask if the
state has an alternative route, Mastain advises, "because you might get
a 'no' when in fact it does." Definitions and terms vary from state to
state. Some states that say they have no "alternative license" may
have an "emergency" license that serves a similar purpose.

"Ask about the alternative ways in which you can become fully
licensed," suggests Mastain. "Then, more specifically, ask, 'Must I go
through a complete, approved program? Can I qualify for a full-time
emergency credential to gain experience?'"

Not all teachers are forced to run an obstacle course to get the
piece of paper that allows them in the classroom door. Some manage to
teach a lifetime without ever hitting a stumbling block.

Being well informed is the best way to clear the hurdles if they
arise. And you will make it--millions of other teachers have.

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